Institute of Historical Research . Section of Neohellenic Research

Business History is a branch of Economic History. Its main object is the study of both the entrepreneur, as an agent, and the firm as an institution, which is a decisive part of the market, at times substituting it, within the dynamically developing framework of the global economy. The trade, maritime, banking, industrial enterprises form together the research material of Business History. The focus points of study are the historical development of businesses, entrepreneurs, methods of production and services, and the types of organization and methods of administration, combined with their interaction with the political, economic and social environment.
The Program began with the study of the history of industry in Greece, and for supporting its research, it became involved during its first ten years with locating and preserving business archives as well as material remnants from industrial heritage.
From the wide choice of topics within the field of Business History the Program focuses on the triptych: Entrepreneur – Business – Entrepreneurship, distinguishing the following research directions for which there is rich archival and secondary material and a constantly enriched international bibliography:

The History of Enterprises -Industrial Archaeology
Directors: Vassilis Panagiotopoulos, Christina Agriantoni
The Program gathered studies on trade and industrial enterprises (Gerousis trade firm, silk industry) simultaneously turning towards the research of contemporary industry in Greece. Locating and preserving business archives were from the beginning a main priority of the Program, while interest for industrial activity and technological equipment led to the search and study of industrial heritage.

Other members

Eftychia Liata, Research Director, until 2018
Evridiki Sifneos, Research Director, †2015

External collaborators
Panagiotis Kapetanakis, Post-Doctoral Researcher, 2013-2015
Philippa Chorozi, PhD Candidate, University of Athens, External Research Associate

Research Projects

“Preserving, cataloguing and studying trade and industrial archives”
Researchers: Vassilis Panagiotopoulos, Christina Agriantoni, Evridiki Sifnaiou, Maria Christina Chatziioannou.
Geroussis-Cheretis trade archives (acquired in 1964), Retsinas textile industry archives (acquired in 1989), Ach. Koupas & Co Machine Works archives (acquired in 1995) – the last two have been transferred to the Greek State Archives (in 2010) – and the Sifneos Frères archives.

“Industrial History of Hermoupolis”
Researchers: Vassilis Panagiotopoulos, Christina Agriantoni.
A contribution to the study, creation and administration of the Industrial Museum of Hermoupolis (1990-today).

“The History of Electrification in Greece (1990-1992)”
Researcher: Vassilis Panagiotopoulos

“The silk industry in Greece (1992-1996)”
Researchers: Christina Agriantoni, Loukia Droulia, Maria Christina Chatziioannou.

“The Evolution of Wooden Shipbuilding in the Eastern Mediterranean during the 18th and 19th c.)” Hosted project (1992-1995).
Researcher: Kostas Damianidis.

“Indexing of Historical Industrial Equipment”
in collaboration with the National Technical University of Athens (1996-1998). Researchers: Vassilis Panagiotopoulos, Yiannis Polyzos.

“The Administration of Industrial Archives”
Leonardo Seminar Program in collaboration with ANSALDO and CERARE (Centre Rhénan des Archives et Recherches Economiques) Historical Archives, 1999.
Researcher: Evridiki Sifnaiou.

“Cultural technologies for the indexing, interpretation and museological use of industrial heritage”
Project PENED (Research Personnel Enhancement Program) 2003-2008. Researcher: Christina Agriantoni.

“Industrial and Artisan Businesses in the Aegean Sea”
Pandektis Digital Database, http://pandektis.ekt.gr
Researchers: Evridiki Sifnaiou, Evdokia Olympitou.

“Historical Documentation and Museological Presentation of the Industrial Heritage of Lesbos”
Researcher: Evridiki Sifnaiou.

“REMSH Network of European Research Centers for the Euro-Mediterranean” Researcher: Evridiki Sifnaiou.

“Ramses II, (FP6) European Network of Excellence of Research Centers for the Mediterranean”
Coordinated by the Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme (Aix-en-Provence, France), axis Exchanges (2006-2010).
Researcher: Maria Christina Chatziioannou.

Within the framework of Action “Support of Post-Doctoral Researchers” of O.P. “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning”, the Program implemented the project “The British and their Ionian subjects in the harbor towns and grain markets of the Black Sea and the Danube: Penetration, settlement, integration (late 18th-mid 19th c.)” with Post-Doctoral Researcher Panagiotis Kapetanakis. Total funding for the project was 150,000 euros (Sep. 3, 2012 – Sep. 2, 2015).
The host institution for this project was the Institute of Historical Research of the NHRF, coordinated by Evridiki Sifnaiou. Coordination was passed on to Maria Christina Chatziioannou following a long leave of absence of the former. Project partner was the University of Greenwich–Greenwich Maritime Institute.
The aim of the research project was to find, analyze and present the main terms and motivations for trade activity and the integration of British and Ionian entrepreneurs in the grain markets, the towns and ports of the Russian Black Sea and the Danube (Odessa, Nikolayev, Taganrok, Rostov-on-Don, Mariopol, Galaci and Braila) from the mid-18th century until the mid-19th century. Apart from Post-Doc Researcher Panagiotis Kapetanakis, the project employed four external associates, PhD Candidate Philippa Chorozi, who undertook the administrative support of the project and the research in archives and libraries of Athens, Historian Dr Dimitrios Kontogeorgis, who undertook research in archives and libraries of Bucharest, Galaci and Braila, Historian Dr Georgios Peilidis, who undertook research in archives and libraries of Venice, and technical scientist Andreas Giannakoulopoulos, who created the bibliography and archival material database, as well as the project’s website. All the archival and bibliographical material indexed has been uploaded on the online database of the project http://britonian.eu

Publications

Maria Christina Chatziioannou (ed.), Ιστορίες του λιανικού εμπορίου, 19ος-21ος αιώνας [Histories of retail trade, 19th-21st centuries], Athens: Institute of Historical Research - Section of Neohellenic Research, nο. 151, 2018.
- (ed.), On merchants’ agency and capitalism in the Eastern Mediterranean 1774-1914, Istanbul, The Isis press, 2017.
- (coeditors Christina Agriantoni, Leda Papastefanaki), Αγορές και Πολιτική: Ιδιωτικά συμφέροντα και Δημόσιαεξουσία (18ος-20όςαιώνας) [Markets and Politics. Private interests and public authority (18th-20th centuries)], Greek Economic History Association & University of Thessaly, Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology, Volos: Thessaly University Press 2016 (Greek and English texts, French and English abstracts), http://epublishing.ekt.gr/en/15372
-, Το Προπατορικό Χρέος: τα Δάνεια της Εθνικής Ανεξαρτησίας της Ελλάδας
[The Original Debt: The Loans of Greek National Independence], Issues of Economic History series, Athens, Gutenberg, 2013.
- (ed), Responding to Economic Crises in Historical Perspective, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, The Historical Review / La Revue Historique 10, IHR/NHRF, Athens 2013, https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/historicalReview/issue/view/242.
- (ed), Networking and Spatial Allocation around the Mediterranean, Seventeenth-Nineteenth Centuries, special issue ofThe Historical Review / La Revue Historique 7, IHR/NHRF, Athens 2010, http://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/historicalReview/issue/view/245
-, Ελληνική ραπτική με υπογραφή. Οικογένεια Γιαννέτου 1907-2007 [Greek tailoring with signature. Giannetos family 1907-2007],Athens 2008.
- (coeditor G. Harlaftis), Following the Nereids. Sea Routes and Maritime Business, 16th-20th centuries, Athens - Corfu 2006.
- (coeditor Maria A. Stasinopoulou), Διασπορά – Δίκτυα – Διαφωτισμός
[Diaspora–Networks– Enlightenment],Tetradia Ergasias 28, IHR/NHRF, Athens 2005, http://www.ine-notebooks.org/index.php/te/index/view/10/
-, Οικογενειακή στρατηγική και εμπορικός ανταγωνισμός, ο οίκος Γερούση τον 19ο αιώνα [Family Strategy and Commercial Competition: The Geroussi Merchant House in the 19th Century], Athens, Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece, 2003.
- (ed), 1952-2002, 50 Χρόνια αστικά λεωφορεία σε κάθε γειτονία [1952-2002: 50 Years of Public Buses in Εvery Neighborhood], Athens 2002.
- (ed), Εμπορικός Σύλλογος Αθηνών, 1902-2002, Ιστορική αναδρομή στη συλλογική συνείδηση των εμπόρων [The Athens Traders Association, 1902-2002: A Historical Retrospective in the Collective Conscience of Merchants], Athens – Corfu 2002.
- (coeditor A. Aggelou), Ανδρέας Συγγρός, Απομνημονεύματα, [A. Syngros, Memoirs], Athens, Estia, 1997.
- (coeditor Christina Agriantoni), Το Μεταξουργείο της Αθήνας [Metaxourgeion: The Athens Silkmill], IHR/NHRF, Αthens 1995, http://epublishing.ekt.gr/el/7869.

Eftychia D. Liata, Η Κέρκυρα και η Ζάκυνθος στον κυκλώνα του αντισημιτισμού. Η «συκοφαντίαγιατοαίμα» του 1891 [Corfu and Zakynthos in a tornado of anti-semitism. The"ghezera of 1891"], INR/NHRF, Athens 2006.
-, Αργεία γη, Από το τεριτόριο στο βιλαέτι (τέλη 17ου αρχές 19ου αι.) [Land of Argos: from territorio to vilaet (end of the 17th c., early 19thc.)], INR/NHRF, Athens 2003.
-, Το Ναύπλιο και η ενδοχώρα του από τον 17ο στον 18οαι., Οικιστικά μεγέθη και κατανομή της γης [Nafplion and its hinterland from 17th to18th century: settlements and the partition of their land],Academy of Athens, Athens 2002.
-, Με την αρμάδα στο Μοριά (1684 – 1687), Ανέκδοτο ημερολόγιο με σχέδια [With the Venetian Armada in Morea (1684-1687). An unpublished diary with designs], Athens, ΙHR/NHRF – OLKOS, 1998.
-, «Φλωρία δεκατέσσερα στένουν γρόσια σαράντα». Η κυκλοφορία των νομισμάτων στον βενετοκρατούμενο και τουρκοκρατούμενο ελληνικό χώρο, 15ος-19ος αι. [“Fourteen Florins correspond to forty silver Turkish coins.” The circulation of coins in the Greek lands during the Venetian and Ottoman Rule, 16th-19th century], IHR/NHRF, Athens 1996.
-, Αρχείον Κανέλλου Δεληγιάννη - Τα έγγραφα 1779-1827 [Kanelos Deligiannis Archive. The documents 1779-1827 (transcription of the writings)], Association of Friends of the People, Athens 1993.
-, Αρχεία οικογένειας Δεληγιάννη: γενικό ευρετήριο [Deligiannis family Archive. General Index], Association of Friends of the People, Athens 1992.
-, Η Σέριφος κατά την τουρκοκρατία (17ος-19οςα.) [Serifos under Turkish rule (17th-19th century], Foundation for Research and Education of the Emporiki Bank of Greece, Athens 1987.
-, Τιμές και αγαθά στην Αθήνα 1839-1846. Μια μαρτυρία από το κατάστιχο του εμπόρου Χριστόδουλου Ευθυμίου [Prices and goods in Athens (1839-1846). A testimony from the every day book of the merchant C. Efthimiou], Athens, Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece, 1984.

Evrydiki Sifneos, Imperial Odessa: Peoples, Spaces, Identities, Leiden: Brill, 2017.
Λέσβος, οικονομική και κοινωνική ιστορία (1840-1912) [Lesvos, economic and social history (1840-1912)], Athens, Aiolida, 2015 (second edition).
- (coeditor Gelina Harlaftis), Οι Έλληνες της Αζοφικής 18ος – αρχές 20ού αιώνα. Νέες προσεγγίσεις στην ιστορία των Ελλήνων της νότιας Ρωσίας [The Greeks of Azov 18th - early 20th century. New Approaches to the History of the Greeks of Southern Russia],ΙHR/NHRF,Athens 2015.
-,Έλληνες έμποροι στην Αζοφική, Η δύναμη και τα όρια της οικογενειακής επιχείρησης [Greek merchants in Azov, the power and limits of the family business], ΙHR/NHRF, Athens 2009.
- (ed.), Γεώργιος Αντ. Κούμπας Ημερολόγιο (1871-1891). Έλληνες έμποροι στη Ρουμανία [George Ant. Cubas, Calendar (1871-1891). Greek merchants in Romania], Kalligrafos - ΙHR/NHRF, Athens 2013.